Paying Extra to Park..

A "free" spot, vs a spot we are being double charged for...what to do?

Recently, when I was on campus, as usual the number of available spots were limited. However, I did notice a very large number of metered spots open which got me thinking about that.

Metered spots can be used by both ODU students and visitors. Good news for visitors, bad news for students who have already shelled out money for an extremely overpriced "possible" spot to begin with. If you're a visitor to ODU's campus and just want to park in a metered spot, well that's all fine and everything but what if you're already a student with a pass? That means you have to pay to park AGAIN and instead of staying parked for your classes all day, you only have 2 hours and then you get a ticket? Having to pay even more? Why do we even have metered spots when they just waste space for students who should be claiming those spots already to begin with.

Right now, the only garage that doesn't have metered parking (and it's not for a lack of trying at the moment) is the 49th street garage. Those "metered" spots are open to everyone as long as they have a decal until they get a metered machine in there. But the students that park there on a daily basis will be getting the boot shortly..

Parallel Parking.....

One of the scariest things to ever have to do when behind the wheel of a car...

Not racing..
Not interstate driving..
Not being stuck in rush hour traffic..
or even making it to work on time..

Parallel parking!

I recently visited Wilmington, NC on a weekend get away and pretty much the only places to park, were in parallel, metered spots. And of course, that's the ONE thing I never truly accomplished in driver's ed. Sad...yes..but it's the truth. So what was I forced to do? Find a lot about 5-6 blocks away from where I actually had to be just so that I could park like a normal person. Then, of course, I get back to my car and there's a nice little pink ticket sitting on the windshield. I guess that's the price of skating by during that particular lesson in High School...

Ready..Set...PARK!

Ever drive on to campus and you can't find a spot?! Well, that is typical event that happens to *most* ODU students. But what's unique about this experience isn't simply finding an empty spot, but FIGHTING for a spot!

Picture just driving around, seeing nothing but metered spaces available, which you aren't going to pay for since you've already paid for an extremely overpriced parking pass, and you see reverse lights come on from a car. You race down but now there is officially 2 other cars waiting for that spot as well!

This is a constant problem when it comes to parking here. With 5 garages available to commuters on campus, this really shouldn't be an issue. What exactly is the problem? Are they selling more passes than there are spaces? Is there some sort of disclaimer that states that ODU is not responsible for us being able to find a spot but taking money from us anyway?

And what exactly is their policy on parking smack downs? Inquiring minds want to know what would happen on these commonly occurring situations...

Parking Problem Epidemic!

Incase you are all wondering if I am just a single disgruntled individual who has issues with parking at ODU, you're very much mistaken.

Recently I talked to a handful of my fellow commuters to get their take on the situation here when it comes to parking. One person has issues with not only the parking but the traffic and constant struggle to get to campus on time. "I leave an hour, sometimes an hour and a half before my class starts and I still am almost late to class!" said an ODU Junior. "Then when I get here, I just pray that there will be a spot for me."

This feeling is echoed among many different students who are commuters. Another commuter also commented on the issue of people who live on campus who are driving 2 blocks and taking up spaces that should be available to commuters. "I don't understand why someone would drive to school when they live on campus when it would take longer to find a spot than it would be to just walk," commented another commuter who has said she knows of individuals who live on campus that do exactly that.

The final commuter I interviewed made it a point to mention her frustration when it comes to having to resort to parking in a metered space. "I spend $180 for a parking tag that doesn't even matter if I have to pay to park AGAIN in a metered spot. Don't they have enough money from students already without forcing them to pay for an hour's worth of a spot?"

All of these people brought up very interesting and understandable complaints when it comes to parking at ODU. It's come to the point where I think anyone who lives on campus shouldn't be allowed to drive to campus. While I realize that may not completely solve the parking problem, it may lessen the number of metered spots necessary which would allow for more actual commuters to be able to find a spot without having to worry about any extra costs. Some may even make it to class on time!

School Parking Issues in Elementary School!

So when I went searching for other locations with parking problems, I came across this blog that shows just how much parking can get out of hand even at a young age.

Because of the lack of parking, a number of parents have been parking their cars in grassy areas next to the school when they drop off and pick up their children.

Northside officials have tried to discourage motorists “to avoid parking in these areas in the interest of student safety,” Noblitt said. However, a number of parents continue to use the area for parking, creating a hazardous situation for both students and parents.

As a result, school officials recently decided to install a fence in the area that will run the length of the school.

Top school officials, however, have determined that no new parking is necessary at the school, Noblitt said.

Ok, so it's true that we're not in elementary school, but apparently bad parking situations stretch farther than just college campuses. Parents of these kids don't find the parking situation safe at all and I can't say that I blame them. Traffic getting children to and from school is heinous and to have to compromise their safety just because the school can't spring the money for better parking accomodations? However, they do have the money to build a fence?

This reminds me a lot of the comparison with how ODU will spend money to remodel the BAL building but not to address the serious parking issues. Instead, they've made "metered" parking. Not only do you have to pay for a parking pass, if you can't find a spot you have to pay more to meter park? Where is all this money for simply PARKING going to?

http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/school-needs-more-parking-406284.html

Customer comes first? Not in the parking lot!

I swear, every time you think that you’ve escaped the parking dilemma, something else happens to put you right back to where you started from. Honestly, how hard is it to park where you’re supposed to?


Alright, let me start from the beginning. This happened to me the other night when a friend and I went out to dinner. The parking lot was full to begin with and we mainly had to just search for someone who was leaving in order to find a decent spot (sound like a familiar ODU parking situation? Yeah, tell me about it). Well anyways, we finally found a spot that wasn’t all the way out in the boondocks.


As we were walking inside, something caught my eye that really made me angry about that whole situation. One of the employees came outside to get something from their car. What it was I don’t really know, or care, but what I did care about was the fact that their car was parked RIGHT in front of the restaurant! Since when is it okay for employee’s to take the spots right by the door? I don’t know how this particular establishment works, but anywhere I’ve ever worked has had a special place where employees are supposed to park so that they are not taking the closest spots available for customers. Who knows what “rank” this person is inside the management system, but all I know is that I find it ridiculous that an employee, who is going to be there all day, gets a front row spot when the people who bring the restaurant business have to settle for second best. What happened to “the customer comes first?” I guess that customer was waiting for a parking spot.